The smart energy market often utilizes a wireless network to provide metering and energy management. Wireless networking include neighborhood area networks for meters, using wireless networking for sub-metering within a building, home or apartment and using wireless networking to communicate to devices within the home. Different installations and utility preferences often result in different network topologies and operation. However, each network typically operates using the same basic principals to ensure interoperability. Also, smart energy devices within a home may be capable of receiving public pricing information and messages from the metering network. However, these devices may not have or need all the capabilities required to join a smart energy network.
A smart energy network may assume different network types, including a utility private home area network (HAN), a utility private neighborhood area network (NAN), or a customer private HAN. A utility private HAN may include an in-home display or a load control device working in conjunction with an energy service portal (ESP), but typically does not include customer-controlled devices.
A smart energy network may interface with different types of devices including a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. With the increasing cost of energy, it is important that a HVAC system operates efficiently and reliably. Consequently there is a real market need to provide information of different components in a HVAC system through a wireless network.